The sea is a good place to think of the future
by FairyxPrincess
Summary: Summer vacation Filled with summer fun, forbidden romances, and Island adventures! The gang will find themselves on a twelve-day cruise to the Caribbean, will they be able to get themselves out of all the trouble they're about to cause? And will Arnold and Helga finally be able to fix the past to start their future? Or will this summer just end in tears? Anything is possible!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **

Hello to all of my readers. As I'm sure you all know, I have two unfinished stories, and unfortunately I don't plan on posting on them anymore

Reasons being, life got so hectic and on "Things left unsaid" I completely lost track of where I was going with it. And as for "My friend ED" well, I found it was waaaaay too triggering to continue to work on it. I haven't decided yet on if I'm going to delete them all together, or leave them up and maybe one day go back to them if I get a spurt of inspiration. And they were also way too scattered, I didn't like how the story lines were so unorganized. However, I do have a new story in mind. I want to start fresh, with brand new styles and ideas. And this one I DO plan on completing. So sit tight, because I'm also going to be uploading my own artwork along with each chapter. I hope you all enjoy what I have next on the agenda. Here you go!

**The sea is a good place to think of the future: Chapter 1**

* * *

**V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N:** In the summer sun!

It was the last day of school in the town of Hillwood; students watched the clock tick away, anxiously awaiting the chime of freedom. Right as the last bell rang, high-school kids scrambled out of their seats, fighting their way through the hallways of their prison. Amongst the commotion a golden-haired girl walked beside her tiny Asian friend. "Oh boy, Phoebe! This summer is going to be great!" the long haired girl pranced around on her tip toes. "Fresh air, the smell of the ocean, free food! And the best part about this whole vacation. !" Helga chirped, making way to her locker. "Oh, yes, Helga this trip is going to be exciting to say the least!" Phoebe squeaked with excitement. Once at their lockers, the two teenaged girls ran into Arnold and Gerald.

"Hey football head" Helga leaned against Arnold's locker, pounding Gerald's fist as she did so. "Hey Helga, you excited about the trip?" Arnold asked, shooting her a crooked grin. Helga nodded eagerly "Yeah, yeah, doi football head, but were you able to convince the parental units to let you come along?" Helga asked, growing slightly frustrated. Arnold sighed and put his books in his locker in silence, this didn't sound good. Gerald knocked him in the arm "Come on, man tell her" Gerald pushed. Helga's eyebrows furrowed "Tell me what, Arnoldo? Come on, spill!" Helga demanded and crossed her arms. "Well, my parents said I could go but..."

"But... what?"

"But they said we need a chaperone" Arnold winced, waiting for Helga's fist to crash into his face.

"Are you kidding me? We're seventeen years old! Why in the name of crimeny would we need a chaperone?" Helga groaned, she could feel her plans unfurling. Their trip was in less than two weeks, and Helga would have to devise a plan that would both please Arnold's parents and let them keep their freedom. "I know that look, what's going on in that head of yours Pataki?" Gerald accused. Helga shot him a sly grin "I'll get your parents that chaperone, football head, don't you worry" she said as she began to walk away "I'll call you later!"

"Mmm mmm mmm! That Helga Pataki sure is a piece of work" Gerald said, shaking his head. "Yeah, she sure is" Arnold said with a small smile and the two boys went their separate ways.

* * *

Helga had a plan, the gang was going on this adventure and Helga would be damned if she let anything stand in the way. "Helga! Helga!" a familiar voice rang throughout the hallway, the two girls turned to see a red-headed girl sporting two long braids and overalls running towards them. "Hey, little Ms. Perfect, what's shaking?" Helga continued to walk, dragging Phoebe along by the wrist hardly giving her a moment to greet their little country friend. "Helga, I spoke to my dad and he was just ever so generous! He wrote me this check to help pay for some of our cruise expenses like activities and stuff! He said I should give it to you for your father" She ran alongside the blonde girl, waving a check around in the air. "Great, thanks" Helga snatched the check out of her hand and stuffed it into her torn jean pocket. "Where are you going in such a rush?" Lila inquired curiously, Helga stopped for a moment to explain. "Well, seems like the football-head's parents decided that we're too young to go on a cruise by ourselves so they said he couldn't go unless we bring a baby-sitter"

"Who'd you have in mind?"

"You'll see" Helga said with a confident smile and waved Lila off, starting to drag her little Asian friend once again. Phoebe shot Lila a confused look and shrugged her shoulders as she waved good-bye. Lila watched as they disappeared into the hallways. It wasn't long before they walked up to a classroom door; Phoebe looked over at Helga and raised an eyebrow. Helga winked at her best friend "wait here Phoebes" Helga instructed strictly before fixing her hair and opening the wooden door. Inside of the classroom sat a man, he was the teachers aid and in his second year of college. He was the perfect "chaperone" he was a student teacher, old enough to please Arnold's parents and young enough that he wouldn't try and ruin their teenaged fun and if Helga's suspicions were correct, he might even get them alcohol (score!) Why hadn't she thought of this sooner!? He looked up from the students papers and smiled brightly upon seeing Helga.

"Oh, hey, Helga what's up?"

She walked over to his desk and leaned against it, crossing her arms over her chest and clearing her throat "Alright, Chris. I'll cut right to the chase. So, as you probably know a few of us are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks; but one of our little crew-members parent's decided to go all over-protective on us and said he can't go unless we get a chaperone-"

"So you want me to go because I'm old enough to satisfy his parents but you think I won't spoil your fun-" he gave a slight smirk.

"Right" Helga returned the grin "And don't worry about expenses or anything, my dad can take care of that. I know its short notice but hey, it's a free cruise" Helga turned to face him and placed her hands on the table, hoping he'd accept her proposition. He chuckled lightly and removed his glasses, setting them on the table and standing to his feet. He walked around to Helga, leaning against the desk beside her.

"All right, Helga. I'll go on your little cruise and be your chaperone. But-"

"But-"

"Yes, I have conditions..."

"Which are?"

He paused a moment, grin never leaving his lips, he took a moment to look her up and down. She was rather filled out for a seventeen year old, she wore slightly baggy clothes but he could still tell she had a lovely figure. A body like that would be way too hard to hide, no matter how she tried. She wore a tattered gray beanie that was patched up in some spots, a pink baggy t-shirt and torn jeans. Her hair was old-school today, pulled up into thick pigtails, and her unibrow had been retired long ago. They were still thick, but they were shaped and lovely. She cocked an eyebrow at him, feeling his intense gaze piercing through her, suddenly she felt naked and vulnerable which was a first for her. He cleared his throat.

"I'll be your chaperone if you let me take you out to dinner" He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss upon it. Helga was taken aback, was her student teacher really hitting on her? She felt her cheeks go hot, she was unsure of how to respond. He was extremely charming, and very attractive; in fact, most of the students that had this class had major crushes on him. He was every teenaged girl's fantasy. Smart, poetic, charismatic, and his eyes were blue enough to drown in. His hair was of medium length, and sort of an auburn color, he was tall, pale, and muscular. Helga started to fantasize about the two of them, how exciting that an older man would want to take _her _of all people out to dinner. Then she let it slip.

"Why me? Why not someone like Rhonda, or Lila...or-"

"Because, I find you rather interesting, and I'm not big on superficial women anyway"

Interesting? Was that even a good thing? What did that even mean? Was he joking? Even if this whole thing was a bust, she had no choice but to say yes. It was the only way to get him to agree to be their chaperone. She took a moment to compose herself and cleared her throat nervously. "Alright, Chris. I'll go to dinner with you, but you have to write my dad and Arnold's parents a letter" Helga tried to steady her voice, not wanting to give away her nerves. Chris nodded his head in approval and grabbed two sheets of paper and a pen writing their parents notes and leaving his phone number for them to give him a call. He then took down Helga's phone number and winked at her before she excused herself and met Phoebe outside of the classroom. She had a somewhat dazed look on her face and Phoebe couldn't help but to be curious.

"So, what happened?" Phoebe asked. Helga suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Oh, Um Mr., Parker said that he would chaperone for us" Helga tried to mask her flush. Phoebe raised an eyebrow "The student teacher?" She asked unsure of what to think. Helga furrowed her eyebrows "Yeah, the _**student teacher**_" she said in a mocking tone "Got a problem with that?"

"Well, no... It's just... Do you really think Arnold's parents will go for that?"

"Well, it's really the only option to make his parents happy without having to spoil our fun"

"If you say so, Helga..."

* * *

Once Helga made it to her house, she explained the situation to Big Bob and Miriam handing them the note, and Lila's check. Big Bob didn't see the problem with the kids having a chaperone on their cruise, in fact he even agreed with the idea. "Well, Girl you could always take Olga instead, I think I'd trust her more" Bob waved the note in her face. Helga was horrified at this idea and jumped back in terror "What!?" she yelped. Big Bob grabbed his gut and began to laugh, almost doubling over "I'm just messing with you, relax, Helga!" He had a hard time containing his laughter. "I'll talk to Albert's parents tomorrow about your little baby-sitter" Bob waved her off. "His name is Arnold!" she barked back at him then let out a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes, carrying her bags up to her room.

She flopped down onto her bed, excited about her trip and very thankful that her dad had been so generous. Ever since Olga had moved back into the house, the entire family began to see Dr. Bliss for group therapy. They had made extreme progress. Miriam stopped drinking; Bob took more days off from working at his new (cell phone) company. It gave him more time to spend with the family, and it gave him the opportunity to get to know Helga more. The more time he spent with her the more he found they had many things in common and the closer they got; he even remembered her name now! Helga had also been given the skills to cope with her anger problems, and since her family started acting like a real family her anger seemed to diminish with each passing year. She was still the same Helga that she had always been, she just didn't bully anyone anymore, and she wasn't so easily set off, it was safe to say that life was officially good. She was still good friends with the old gang, they had no animosity towards her, and she had even gotten over obsession with a certain football headed boy.

It hadn't been an easy thing to overcome, but through extensive therapy and self-reflection she had done it. She was no longer obsessed with the flaxen haired love god, she no longer worshiped the ground he walked on; and she was also able to come out with her dignity still intact. Over the years, the two became great friends, almost best friends if it weren't for Phoebe and Gerald, and Helga was OK with that. Well, Helga would still always have a love for Arnold, she had to come to terms with the fact that they just simply would never be together. She realized that her obsession was unhealthy and she couldn't continue to walk around love-sick all day. She had to admit, life without her obsession had become rather dull and lonely, but she still had him in her life which was the only thing that mattered, and she wouldn't trade their friendship for anything in the world. Life was good, yes it sure was. For the first time she could actually say she was truly happy. And to make things better. An amazingly handsome and smart man was interested in taking her out to dinner. She let out a loving sigh, and at that moment her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the message.

**UNKNOWN:** _"Just spoke with your father, everything's all set. You owe me a date ;)"_


	2. Chapter 2

The crisp smell of morning was in the air, the cruise was only two days away and the gang had to be up early to prepare for their departure. The ship's port was in New Jersey and it was an approximate drive of five hours to get there from their location in Hillwood. The plan was to get a group of their parents to drive them to a hotel in Jersey; they would stay the night and catch a shuttle to the ship on their day of departure. Everything was going smoothly so far. They were all to meet up at the Sunset Arms around four a.m. and one by one the group all started to show up, tired eyed and some still in their pajamas.

Rhonda was one of the last to show up, bearing some great news for her friends. She walked up to Helga and placed her arm around her "Tell me, Helga. How much do you love me?" she asked in sheer narcissism. Helga smirked slightly then rolled her eyes "Actually, not at all princess but I got your text, spit it out, what's the good news?" Helga pushed her off of her and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well, I told daddy that I wouldn't be caught dead driving in…. well, commoner vehicles" she said pointing over to Miles's Packard and Big Bobs decked out hummer. Bob raised an eyebrow and Miles and Stella rolled their eyes. "What's your point princes?" Helga demanded, growing angry. If Rhonda had a point, she'd better make it fast. Rhonda ignored everyone's impatience and carried on.

"Anyway" she said in frustration "Daddy agreed with me, he said if we were going to be going on the best vacation of our lives, we needed to show up in style" Rhonda grinned wickedly and pointed out into the distance. The crew looked towards the direction she was pointing in with squinted eyes.

"Oh, boy howdy, Rhonda is that a limo?!" Sid exclaimed in excitement and Rhonda nodded eagerly. Everyone applauded her but the parents were unimpressed. Arnold's parents especially. They had already been having a hard time accepting the fact that he was going on a vacation with such a large group of teenagers and only one adult. Well, they could hardly even call him an adult but they knew he was the best they had. Now the Lloyd girl was going to come and whisk them all away in some fancy limo? Stella shot a worried glance over at Miles "Do something" she said. She had spent most of her son's life away from him and she did not want to lose him over something like this. "Rhonda, I'm afraid we can't allow this unless we talk to your parents first, you understand" Miles said, not wanting to let the children just run off in some limo. Arnold sighed to himself, slightly annoyed that his parents kept throwing obstacles at them, but he still knew they had his best interest at heart. Helga didn't want anything to go wrong, she quickly elbowed her dad in the ribs "Dad, talk to them!" she whispered frantically but Bob was on Miles and Stella's side "Actually, I think I feel the same way about this" He walked over to Arnold's parents, standing firm by their side. "Awww!" all the teenagers whined in unison. Why did parents always have to ruin everything?

"Bob, that's so unfair!" Helga growled and stomped her foot against the ground. Bob rolled his eyes "Oh yes, Helga, so unfair. I forked out thousands of dollars for you and your little friends to even go on this vacation thing, yet I'm being unfair" Bob retorted, not changing his mind. Helga was going to reply with some snide remark but Mr. Parker, their student teacher chaperone intervened. "Mr. Pataki, if I may speak freely" he inquired and Bob nodded "Yeah, sure whatever" he replied. Chris shot Helga a sneaky wink and walked over to the parents.

"Well, I am going to be their chaperone on this vacation and the kids seem to have their heart set on this limo. I don't mind keeping an eye on them a few extra days, and it would be much nicer for them if they got to ride together. The rooms at the hotel are already paid for and as long as someone over twenty-one checks them in, there should be no problems" He was so charismatic it was hard to say no, and besides if he went with them in the limo than Big Bob wouldn't have to deal with the annoying jabber of teenaged kids for five hours straight, but Bob had a hard time saying yes right off the bat. He glanced over at Miles and Stella "I, dunno, what do you guys think?" He asked. "Well, he is going to be their chaperone for twelve days, I don't see the harm in adding just two more" Miles agreed and looked at his wife who still seemed unsure. "Well, if you think it's alright then I suppose I don't have a problem with it" Stella replied, skeptical, but she knew that she had to loosen the rope on Arnold eventually she wouldn't want him growing up resenting her.

"Well, alright then it's settled. But you better be sure to take care of them because if a single one of them comes back with a single scratch than your ass is grass. Am I clear?" Bob threatened. Chris gulped, not wanting to cross Big Bob Pataki but he nodded, understanding "Yes sir, I will take good care of them" He said and bid their parents a farewell, walking back over to the group of teenagers. "Well, looks like you guys get to enjoy a limo ride" He said with a triumphant grin and flung his backpack over his shoulder. The kids jumped for joy, the boys of the group pounding fists with him and the majority of the girls swooning with love-sick gazes. Rhonda's chauffeur packed everyone's bags into the large storage unit of the limo and everyone packed into the vehicle, excited for their adventure. And with that, everyone was off. Helga, Arnold, Phoebe, Gerald, Brainy, Rhonda, Curly, Sid, Stinky, Lila, Harold, and Mr. Parker. A few of the others weren't able to join the crew because they couldn't find the funds or their parents simply wouldn't allow them to go. However, twelve was plenty for it to be a party and they would just have to take tons of pictures for everyone else to see when they got back.

* * *

The trip to the hotel was a blast, the gang all joked and laughed and had a good time. Helga and Chris kept shooting each other flirtatious glances, and Arnold caught them every so often. He gave Helga a stern look and she looked away as if she had no idea what he was on about. Rhonda reached into her over-sized purse and pulled out a large bottle of champagne "Look at what I swiped from my parent's alcohol cabinet" she sang excitedly. Everyone cheered and grabbed champagne glasses from a built in bar inside the back of the limo. "Jeeze, princess it's barely seven o' clock" Helga scoffed but Rhonda dismissed her comment. "So? We're on vacation! Party all day and night!" Sid exclaimed and held up his glass for Rhonda to pour some alcohol into it. Everyone agreed with him and began to drink, except for Arnold, Chris and Helga who all agreed it was much too early to be indulging in such activities. "You don't have a problem with us drinking, do you, Mr. Parker?" Curly inquired, not wanting him to snitch on them. Chris chuckled and shook his head. "It's Chris, and I don't care what you guys do as long as I get you home in one piece" he shrugged his shoulders "That's why Helga recruited me In the first place" He shot her a sly grin. Helga blushed and looked down at her cell phone, noticing she had a text message.

**ARNOLD**: _what's up with all the flirty smiles?_

**HELGA**: _I don't know what you're talking about football-head_

**ARNOLD**: _I'm not stupid, Helga you better be careful messing around with older men…._

**HELGA**: _Mind your own business, Arnold-o I can take care of myself._

Helga glared at Arnold who returned her gaze and shook his head. He didn't like what he saw; he didn't like how Parker looked at Helga as if she were some piece of meat. Maybe he was jealous, or maybe he just didn't like the idea of a teacher messing around with one of his best friends. However, he knew he'd be keeping a close eye on the two to make sure this "Chris" guy didn't harm Helga in any way. Gerald noticed the worried look on his friends face and tapped him "Yo, man, what's wrong?" he asked but Arnold shook it off for now "Nothing, Gerald. I'm just tired" he replied and pounded Gerald's fist. "Whatever you say, Arnold" Gerald shook his head and leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes and napping for the duration of the road trip.

They had finally reached the hotel; it was the Wellington hotel, owned by none other than Rhonda's family. It was only natural that they would stay there, after all it was five-star rated and Rhonda's parents wouldn't let them settle for anything less. It was certainly great to be friends with such a rich snob, which meant free stuff and only the best at that. Each room slept about ten comfortably but just for the extra space they had booked three rooms. Five of them in one room, six in the other and just because Mr. Parker had so graciously accepted their proposal he got his own room. Once they were all checked in, they found their rooms which were all joint and got themselves settled in. Helga, Arnold, Phoebe, Gerald and Brainy, all shared a room and Rhonda, Curly, Harold, Sid, Stinky and Lila shared the other. Mr. Parker settled into his own. Once Helga was all unpacked she walked over to the door "I'll be back, guys I'm going to go check up front to see about a bottle of vodka" she lied, and Arnold could see right through it. He followed her out the door and grabbed her arm "You mean you're going to go see about Mr. Parker…" he accused but she denied "Football-head, you're starting to get on my nerves. I'm not going to go see Mr. Parker, and even if I was it's none of your business" she ripped her arm out of Arnold's grip.

"I mean it, Helga… You need to be careful"

"Shove it, Arnold-o" she warned and walked away. Arnold turned to walk back into his room, shaking his head. "Where did you go, Arnold?" Phoebe asked curiously "I just went to ask Helga something" He would cover for Helga as long as she was safe, but as soon as something bad happened he would invest the help of his trusted friends to put a stop to her madness. Phoebe and Gerald took the bed closest to the window and snuggled up to each other, sucking face while they watched a movie. Brian quivered at the sight "Great, we get to put up with that all night he stuck out his tongue and Arnold laughed as Gerald flipped them off. "Well, It's better than Rhonda and Curly, or Lila and Sid" Arnold shivered in disgust even just thinking about it. Brian nodded his head in agreement "Well, I guess I'll take the couch because Helga kicks in her sleep…. Unless you want to snuggle up to me, Arnold" Brainy puckered up his lips and made a teasing kissy face; Arnold threw a pillow at him. "It's fine, I think I can handle Helga's kicking" He laughed, settling onto his bed and watching the T.V."

"Give daddy some sugar!" Curly wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and puckered his lips, pressing them firmly against Rhonda's. She pushed him away and smacked him across the face "I told you, Thaddeus, no public affection!" she warned and pulled out a nail file. "Oh, Rhonda, I think it's just ever so sweet, you and Curly" Lila said sweetly, she was sitting on Sid's lap with her arms around his neck and he had his face buried in her red hair. "Awww man, we have to sit here and watch this all night!" Harold whined and began to rummage through the mini-fridge. "Yeah, this really bites" Stinky agreed "I'm hungry!" Harold barked and grabbed Stinky by the arm "Let's go find something to eat and leave these lovebirds alone" Harold demanded, dragging Stinky out of the room and down the hall.

* * *

Helga had snuck into Chris's room, they had gotten pretty close within the past two weeks; and she had to admit, all this sneaking around was pretty sexy. Helga's arms made their way around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. Her lips found his in passion and he pushed her down onto his bed, suckling at her lower lip, wanting more. Helga allowed his tongue to shoot into her mouth, their tongues twisting and entwining around each other's with a vehement desire. Chris's hand cupped the back of her head, and his other hand found the rim of her shirt, pulling it up slightly to expose her stomach. His hand made its way up underneath her shirt, cupping it around one of her breasts. Helga broke the kiss and grabbed his hand "Slow down bucko, we've only been running around for two weeks" She sat up and fixed her shirt. "I'm sorry, Helga it's just…. You're so amazing and smart and beautiful" He admitted "I can't keep my hands off you" he grinned which caused her to blush. "I wish you could stay in my room tonight" he pouted sadly.

"Yeah, well Arnold's already starting to suspect and that would look awful fishy if I stayed in here" she stated "I wouldn't want to get in trouble or have you jeopardize your job" She made a very good point. "Well then, I guess you'd better get back before they send a search party after you" he winked and smacked her rear before walking her to the door. He placed a kiss on her forehead and opened the door for her.

Helga made it back to her room with a bottle of vodka in her hand "Whose up for a party?" Helga asked with her eyebrow raised.

"How'd you get that?" Brainy asked

"I have my ways" she winked and cracked open the bottle, serving everyone up some drinks.


End file.
